Campus Labs Challenged to Maximize Freezer Efficiency

January 23, 2017

sustainNU

Laboratory users have essential roles to play in reaching Northwestern’s sustainability goals. Labs often use five to ten times as much energy per square foot as office spaces, and freezers are among the most energy hungry pieces of equipment in labs. An average 25-cubic foot ultra-low-temperature freezer, or -80C freezer, uses approximately the same amount of electricity per day as a small U.S. house.

The competition runs from the end of January through May 1, 2017, and winners will be announced at the Boston I2SL Conference in October, 2017. The winning lab will be featured in an article in Nature and will win a coffee machine.

Northwestern’s sustainNU staff is coordinating registration for interested labs within the University. Throughout the competition, participating labs will receive email updates with tips on maximizing freezer efficiency. Some labs will also receive meters that they can use to measure how much energy their freezers are using and evaluate the results of their energy-saving actions. Meters are available in limited quantities and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.